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Don't Ask, Don't Shave

The U.S. Special Forces, aka Green Berets, are a special operations force of the U.S. Army tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism.  The first two emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops.  

So it comes as sad news to BaB, that after almost a decade of growing long beards to emphasize deep respect for Afghanistan's bearded culture, many of our elite have been ordered to shave their beards.  Seems veteran ops are complaining that they are not taken seriously by local leaders due to their facial fuzz, and they need these pillars of the community to trust them in order to gain intelligence into another bearded force - the Taliban.  

Those in charge have stated clearly that they want "a professional looking" soldier in the field.  Do those sporting beards really have the stigma of being uncouth amateurs incapable of serving our country?  Wouldn't the beard also offer some sort of natural camouflage to our troops, as I'd assume it is pretty easy to tell who the American is when all, but two guys have beards? 

Commanders report that beards are "sending the wrong message" to the communities overseas, but that said, special ops living in or near villages can keep their beards, "but are encouraged to adopt the traditional Afghan pokol cap instead of a billed cap."

*sigh*

What do you think?  Should special ops be forced to shave?  Does it send the wrong message?  Ever have a personal experience at work where you were asked to run to a razor?  Professionalism questioned?  

When Duty Calls...

Sometimes, as reporters of all things hirsute, we need to cover a topic that might make most of our readers blush (or take for instance, this co-founder).  I wouldn't consider myself a prude, but as I stumbled upon Heckler Spray this morning, perhaps I should rethink that.  Heckler reported that a woman (I am hesitant to call her a singer/songwriter at this point) by the name of Majela Zeze Diamond has written a song about having sex with bearded men - and writes explicitly about the joys it brings to her... shall we say... erogenous zones. 

This Internet "star" has been quoted as saying, "Men are good for money, sex and vagina,"  but her recent “I love having sex with bearded men” video is why we're covering her today. 

A word to those sitting at work - this video, lyrically, is NSFW. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Thanks His Beard... and Beer

Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed victory this past Friday while driving the No. 3 in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona.  Dale Jr. said the only acceptable outcome to the race was winning - that "if he was going to drive his father’s old No. 3 there was no point in coming in fifth."  Dale Jr. then took a moment to thank his beard and beer for the win - noting that he started the year with it, shaved it off to do a commercial, then grew it back.

“I grew the beard back because I've been running better, y'all.  Have y'all not matched it up? We had those first 10 races where we hauled ass, then I shaved, we ain't running worth a darn. Then I grew the beard back. Also I started drinking beer on Monday.  I don't know. The beard ain't got its own personality. The beard does have a Facebook page, but it's not a real person, it's just a beard on my face.”

He concluded by stating -- “I drink beer every Monday and I grew a beard back. Those two things seem to be helping me. So really those two things deserve the most credit.”

The Lone Beard Behind TECHLAND

Peter Ha is bad ass - a tatted out, beer drinker who rocks a beard, surfs the cool waters of New York, and just so happens to be the technology editor for Time and editor of TECHLAND.  As a regular attendee of CES, I have always been under the impression that most geeks (said with love, of course) could never grow a full beard, but Peter is destroying this held notion.  So we've been politely Twitter stalking him, but it wasn't until he posted his Apple iPhone 4 review that we made an open plea for a Q&A with this bearded tech warrior.

Just don't ask him if you can touch it...

 

BAB: In your recent iPhone 4 article, you're sporting a beard... how long did that take you to grow? Peter: That’s a tough first question. Jeez. I thought we were, you know, Twitter buddies. In its current state, I’d say this one took about seven days. It’s a little long to be honest.
 

(BAB side comment: It's not long enough)

What are your thoughts on mustaches? I really wish I could pull one off without look like a total sleaze ball. It all depends on the type and thickness. I like a good old-fashioned handlebar. I’d really like it if mustaches came back into style. 

Goatees? I’ve only been able to grow a full beard in the last four or five years and before that I had a goatee. I’d rather cut off my pinky then go back to having a goatee, though. 

Who is your bearded hero (fiction, musician, artist, author, etc.)? Chewbacca. Duh.

You grew up on the West Coast.... how is the beard scene there?  How does it compare to NYC? Yeah, I was born and raised in Portland, but spent some time in the Bay Area, as well. There are enclaves within cities like Seattle and Portland that are full of beards. NYC beards got nothing on us lumberbacks from the PNW.

You work for Time... what is the corporate reaction to your beard? No one really seems to care about the beard. I’m fairly clean cut and present myself in a manner that my mother would approve of. 

Reaction to your tattoos? I don’t know if this is true but a co-worker told me that the former managing editor had sent a memo around the day before I started to inform everyone that a tattooed greaser would be joining the company as the technology editor. I have yet to see said e-mail. The elevator rides in the morning are a trip. 

How many other bearded tatted-out tech reporters are rocking Time? I’m the only one.

We're calling 2010 the "Year of the Beard" - any predictions for 2011? Year of the Moustache?

How long have you rocked facial hair? I first started showing signs of being man around 1999. 

What's the most annoying thing about having a beard in NYC? The upkeep.

Anything else we should know.... ? Cheez-its with Frank's hot sauce is the shit.

        Peter Ha of TECHLAND

Dedication to Design - Growing A Beard (Stages)

Check out why working at MailChimp is totally awesome & provides great "growth" opportunities (ha ha ha) -  

Rock What You Got - Advice from Jack Passion

On Thursday night, at an undisclosed bearded location, we met up with the incredible Jack Passion to discuss the joys, thrills, and slight annoyances with sporting the best beard in the world!    

As a woman, it took me a while to take in the large-scale beauty of Mr. Passion's beard.  Certainly, as co-founder of this blog, I love facial hair of all shapes and sizes, but this got me to thinking.... what if... what *IF* your significant other wasn't down with your facial hair?

Jack: Your partner needs to understand where you're coming from and what this process can mean to a man. S/he is seeing the beginning stages and maybe cringing, but you're seeing the potential.  It takes a little time before the beard starts looking how you want it.  But if you're close with your partner and if you support one another, s/he will be there for the bad - before it gets good.  You could also just ask him or her if they love you... and follow it directly by saying - #PROVEIT!

I am sure eating gets in the way with a beard that size.  Am I wrong?  

Jack: It's only the mustache that makes eating difficult.  I keep mine trimmed, and I know guys who just manage.  If you can't handle the heat, get out the kitchen.  Sacrifices must be made in the path to legendary greatness.

How do you manage that mane?  Do you comb it?  Do you hire someone to handle it? 

Jack: I use a comb, but only because my beard is long.  You don't have to buy into the hype and get a really expensive comb, but just don't use a plastic one.  Avoid seams because seams snag.  Bakelite is cheap, easy, and readily available.  However, most guys only need a quality boar bristle brush to distribute oils and stimulate the face underneath.

And what about the men who have patchy beards?  Any advice?  

Jack: A lot of men's faces don't fill out 'til much later in their life.  Despite evidence that men peak sexually in their early 20s, they might not get a full beard until their 40s.  Rock what you've got.  So what if you've a patchy beard?  Nobody's going to know that because your mustache (or sideburns, or goatee, or whatever) looks so fresh.   

*Build-a-Beard founders hanging with Passion.

Of Poets and Beards

 Earlier this week our good friend @Dissentertainer pointed us in the direction of an awesome post about poets ranked by their beard weight... and we thought, hey they wont out do us! So, here we are... and yes, while the post was great (see the compilation photo below and the link to the story) we will not stand idly by and wait for others to dictate their beardly decision to us!!

So, before you peruse their findings (which are excerpted and abridged from The Language of the Beard, originally circulated by The Torchbearer Society, London, 1913... with Commentary by Gilbert Alter-Gilbert) and can be found at the bottom of our post... take a look at our Top-3 Poetic Beardos, and of course... they are part of our community!

Judge for yourself... one of them even comes with his own poem! And speaking of Beardly poems... we found a nice batch of them: Derrick - Beard Poem,  Wallace Stevens - The Well Dressed Man With A Beard, and ghostwolf - Ballad of the Lost Beard.

1) Magnus Holmgren (aka @poetisk) -- We've known Magnus since almost the first day we went live on twitter... and have been trying to get him on B-a-B ever since. He tweets very interesting stuff, and frankly, his facial hair style is nearly unmatched... we love him so much we are willing to look past the New York Yankees hat (dude you're from Sweden, you MUST root for the Red Sox!)

2) Johnny Park (of The Oh Eeks)-- A lady friend of Johnny's got in touch with us about using the below shot... we were smitten rather immediately, but Johnny can thank our Facebook follower Rachel Commerford for this inclusion (even though your beard is rather nice), as we're not even sure that you're a follower of B-a-B... Rachel, you get a gold star.

3) Michael Sesling (aka @poeticmindset) -- We came to know Michael (who resides in my home town of Brookline MA) by way of Magnus... and his Haiku's lighten up our day from time to time. He's a great addition to the B-a-B family, but alas, this short beard will only get you as high up as #3... grow it out, grow it proud!

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Poets Ranked by Beard Weight

The National - Baby, We'll Be Bearded

The National.  Not only is this band of New Yorkers transplanted from Ohio music to my ears, but they're not bad on beards either.  During Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, Cherry Tree (EP), Alligator, and Boxer, the band sported some spotty (if not - barely existent) scruff, but it seems that with the release of High Violet on May 11th- all beardos are on board.  

Before, singer and songwriter Matt Berninger (currently living in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn... yea, we stalked it out) could be recognized for his distinctive, deep, baritone voice - but now his bushy beard is keeping B-a-B's full attention. We are huge fans of The National and to this day, one of my all-time favorite interview answers came in 2008 when NY Magazine wanted Matt to describe the strangest comparison he has heard so far about describing his voice: 

"It's like chocolate and wool." I'm like, "What?" Someone else said I sound like a combination of Ian Curtis and Rain Man, which I thought was good. Even when it's an insult it's sort of flattering.  

Upcoming tour schedule can be found HERE.  I'll be scouting beards in July at Prospect Park for this concert so come find me with your best DIY facial hair.  
*High Violet tracks

My Beowddd Hooytts

No, we have not lost our minds over at B-a-B on this glorious Friday afternoon.  Rather, we fell in love AGAIN with - 

ZDNet - The Bearded Choice

Did you know that those who rock beards in traditional media and the blogosphere write better than their shaved colleagues?  It is true.  Why?  Simple put: beards are awesome and they impact every part of a person's life in a positive fashion.  Beards - by nature - push expressionism, they give those experiencing writer's block something to touch that helps them breakthrough to their next genius point, and beards can be used as a distraction - to get the hard hitting questions answered as the interviewee becomes memorized by the facial fuzz of the reporter. 

I stumbled upon this post by ZDNet (written in March 2010) and was completely impressed by how many people on their staff #proveit --

• David Morgenstern - Resident Mac expert
• Dana Blankenhorn - Open Source and Healthcare 
• Christopher Dawson - Education IT (and now part-time Google blogger) 
• Dennis Howlett - Enterprise software
• Andrew Mager - Web expert
• Andrew Nusca - Associated Editor
• Zack Whittaker- iGeneration
• David Greenfield - Team collaboration blogger
• Joel Evans - Mobile Gadgeteer
• Adrian Kingsley-Hughes - PC Hardware expert
• David Chernicoff - Next Generation Datacenter blogger

What other work places encourage the beard or goatee to such an astounding degree? No outlet can compete with such facial hair fury, which makes ZDNet Build-a-Beard's #1 choice for hairy tech gurus. 

Dana Blankenhorn proving it wisely: 

H. Ross Perot - Adam Lisagor Is Keeping His Beard

As promised, the second installment of our interview with Adam Lisagor has posted for your bearded enjoyment....

Q: Do a lot of your friends have beards?  How does corporate culture impact your bearded decision (or not)?
Not many of my friends have beards, actually. And that may be for many reasons: their careers may preclude the option, their personal style may conflict with the ruggedness of a beard, but I think most often it's just that their sissy faces can't really support the follicular activity. Every time I have the beard conversation with a friend, it's always, "Oh, I can grow hair here and here, but it never comes in here." And all I can feel is sad for them, the way my friends felt sad for me when I was 15 and hadn't yet sprouted in my crotch or armpits.

I'm self-employed, and even if I weren't, I work in an industry that favors those who look like shit at all times (the sitting-in-front-of-a-computer industry). So I have no impetus to ditch it for the furthering of my career. I read once that as a CEO, H. Ross Perot actually forbade the wearing of beards among his male employees, which just strikes me as pure fascist bullshit and I'm glad he lost the election because I'M KEEPIN MY BEARD, H. ROSS.

Also, at 32, I've sort of settled into my level of stockiness and girth. I wouldn't like to see what my bare cheeks look like at my current BMI. This is always a consideration for any bearded man.

Q: What beard - throughout history - has inspired you?  Do you have a bearded hero?
I've always admired Stanley Kubrick's beard, because he always looked like he cared just enough to get dressed and trim his beard to avoid overgrowth, but that he had enough on his mind to keep him from caring too much. And I think our growth pattern is very similar, even on the head part of the beard, which I guess, is just called hair.

My other bearded hero is this guy, and I don't know his name. The "show me you're nuts" guy from "Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977). It's the way guys in the 70s used to wear a beard—just classy.

Q: How do you feel about the current beard trend?  Is this good for the movement? Do you feel there might be backlash?
How do I feel about the current beard trend? It's fine, I guess. If all the beards went away tomorrow, I'd feel better about having mine. It never feels good to look like everybody else out there. I get so dismayed when I go to a party, or am out in public in a major city like LA, where I live, or Portland, where I go often, and see so many dudes that look just like me. It comes down to Freud's narcissism of small differences, where the more they look like me, the more reasons I have to find to distinguish myself from them and hate them. Like, "Oh, that guy? His beard and glasses make him look so Jewy. Jew Jew Jew Jew JEWY JEW. [Note: I'm clearly Jewish, but there is no greater compliment to pay to a Jew than to tell him he doesn't look Jewish.]" Sameness breeds a lot of hatred in counterculture. No one wants that. So I'd be fine if the trend took its leave.

Q: Did you attend SXSWi?  What did you think about the amount of beards that were there?
I was there for Interactive, but honestly, I didn't notice. Again, I live in LA where beards abound, so there was nothing out of the ordinary about Austin during SXSW.

Anything you'd like to tell us/share/link to?
Today on putthison.com, the men's style show I do with my partner Jesse Thorn, Jesse did a post about facial hair options which I found pretty good. Someone wrote in to ask us about facial hair and Jesse fielded the question (since I don't really contribute to the blog, but Jesse does an amazing job), basically instructing the dude to avoid goatees at all cost, which is a solid piece of advice, for sure.

I guess I've never asked my girlfriend of seven years, Roxana, how she feels about my beard, or whether she'd prefer me clean-shaven. I know for sure that it's better to be either clean-shaven or have a longer beard because a short beard or stubble is just irritating to the face of the person with whom you're necking, so that's a consideration. But she has a good sense of style, as the editor of the men's style site Nerd Boyfriend, and I trust that she'd tell me if I looked like a doofus.

Adam's sweet beard & iJustine
 

Adam Lisagor: A Human Under His Beard

Sometimes B-a-B receives killer tips from fans who scout beards on our behalf.  We were beyond thrilled when a loyal reader introduced us to Adam Lisagor who runs (or writes at) numerous blogs, but is best known for lonelysandwich.  Adam is a resident of Los Angeles and is keeping the city legit by rocking some killer face fur.  He was gracious enough to send B-a-B some interesting facts and FAQs of him and due to the absolute awesomeness of his answers (spanning from Stanley Kubrick's beard, his thoughts on H. Ross Perot, why chin-pads suck, to Freud's narcissism of small differences), this is going to be a special two-part interview.  

One thing is for certain - Adam is serious about his beard.  Luckily, B-a-B is a firm believer that good things come to obsessive-compulsives who fixate. Adam feels that "beards are certainly in fashion, and there aren't any signs of that momentum slowing." Here's a blog post he wrote about his beard a couple years back, in response to a TIME article about their growing popularity.

Below are a few topics that B-a-B was privileged to talk to Adam about....  

Part I 

Background (via Adam)

In its current full-breaded state, my beard has been living with me since 2003. I had a girlfriend during college that was always encouraging me to grow a beard, and I'd experimented with facial hair configurations from the time I could get a patch of hair to coagulate on any spot of my face, but a beard always seemed too manly and, for lack of a better term, too dad for me. And I'm one of those adult males who was emotionally 17 for some time into his 20s, and then 23 until about the age of 30. So a beard was out of the question, at least until I was paying all of my own rent.

The Experiment, Gilligan, & Jim Jarmusch

My first experiment with facial hair was a small tuft on the point of my chin. A Maynard G. Krebs, as I've always called it, after Gilligan's beatnik character from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Mind you, this wasn't a chin-pad, which is, was and always will be a mortal sin in the world of facial hair. This was a small patch which signified the wearer as a member of the counterculture in the 90s, when I wore it in my first year of college. I'd been a jazzbo, and the look suited me. A huge fan of Jim Jarmusch and his prematurely gray hair, I even attempted to dye mine gray at one point but I did it wrong and it hurt my face.

Sideburns Central, Luke Perry, & Training To Go Beard

Next came sideburns. Real Luke Perry specials. Something every young man should try once, and certainly better than the other extreme, which is whitewalls, which is the anti-beard, and great if you want to look like you're most at home at a petting zoo or a Civil War museum. During and particularly after college, I smoked a lot of weed, so of course I grew pork chops. Pork chops are training ground for a full beard. And in 2001, beards weren't the rage as they are now. So I had to ease the world into my hairy face, or vice versa. The world had to ease me into my hairy face. Just look at the size of that J!

The Dude 

Anyhow, as soon as I grew out of my unemployed post-college phase and joined the working world, it was time to try a beard out. And it worked for me. In the 80s, my dad always had a beard, and he looked pretty good. As an adult, I look a lot like my dad, so I sort of think of him in the 80s whenever I see myself bearded. Now, he's done more of a van dyke (which I'm not a huge fan of unless you're The Dude) but it can look not bad on a distinguished older man. Here's me, bearded, and my dad, van dyked.

Remembering Your Face

Every so often towards the beginning of my beard tenure, I'd have to shave it off to remember what my face looked like. See this picture for what my face looks like. But I hate to shave. I hate it. Even in a hot shower, it'd bug the shit out of me, so I'd just stop shaving. And I think that's where the beard mostly came from—laziness. So in addition to signifying membership in a counterculture, it signifies laziness, which is most often part and parcel.

Avoid Enhancing Fleshiness

By now, at 32, I've gone at least 3 or 4 years without having done more than close-crop the beard, and I don't think I will shave it any time soon. My normal grooming regimen is about every two weeks, I'll pull out the Wahl and give it the once over with a #3 guard, and then a #2 and then clean up the neck area. But most important, MOST IMPORTANT, is to go gradually into a bare neck. Don't, under any circumstance, make a sharp edge at the bottom of your beard and leave that whole patch of under-jaw bare. Because it will enhance the fleshiness of your skin and make you look like a dork. In grade school, I'd always get A's on map making by feathering the borders of the land and the water. I apply this philosophy to my beard trimming and it hasn't failed me. Oh, and no chin-straps, fellas. No way, Jebediah.

The Signature Beard & Shooting Lasers

And my beard has, by this point, become my signature. My face is pretty easily maleable, and I have no problem changing my look, so I'm quite sure that many people wouldn't recognize me if I were to lose the beard. Likewise, my thick plastic frames. At some point, I'll get laser eye surgery (so I can shoot lasers from my eyes) and I'll no longer need glasses. But I'm quite sure that I'll still wear non-prescription frames because I like frames and they're sort of my trademark. To an obnoxious point, actually. I get a lot of "Oh, here's a picture of a guy that looks just like you!" and it'll just be some schlub with a beard and glasses, but an entirely dissimilar face. I'll make it clear here and now: knock that shit off, people. We are actual human beings under our beards and glasses, unique like snowflakes and unlike that analogy.

(Stay tuned for Part II....) 
 

Fear the Beard, Not the Broad

Last week, B-a-B blogged about the trend of post break-up beardos (aka: those that grew a beard after being dumped as a final f-you act or those that grew a beard after breaking some partner's heart).  We put a call to action - we wanted to interview someone who fit this description - and the extremely talented Max Dana answered the call.  

Max runs the popular blog 'Dissentertainer' - dedicated to uncovering the hidden treasures of music, film, art and the culture at large.  More importantly, he sports one fine looking beard after experiencing some heartache (Note: I've known Max for years - and it's completely the girl's loss - he's a New York City gem). 

Recently, we sat down over beers and discussed Max's hairy tale.... when his beard "became a man," the experience of growing an epic Civil War-style beard, how beards are "catnip for girls," and how Max balances both his mod & lumberjack facial hair styling....

BAB: How long were you dating and why did you choose to grow a beard after the relationship ended?  
Max: We dated for about a year, but I didn't give birth to the beard until a few months after we broke up. It was actually more of an "accidental beard" and didn't initially have anything to do with my ex, but I don't love it any less for being unplanned or conceived out of wedlock. 

BAB: Did the post break-up beard start as a mustache and grow into a beard - or did you decide to go all out?  Was it a conscious decision? 
Max: I grew the beard as a form of self-defense. At first it was just some light scruff that I was sporting after a particularly lazy Labor Day weekend. I was a few weeks away from my 30th birthday and facial hair seemed like a really grown-up thing that I had never tried, so I decided not to shave for the rest of the month.  

A few days into the experiment, I let the ex-girlfriend in question take a shower at my apartment while I was at work because she had been sleeping at her office and needed to clean herself up before visiting apartments that night. I told her to be gone by the time I got home and to leave her set of keys behind, but of course she was there upon my return.  Further, when I got back to the apt, she didn't want to leave. When I insisted that she leave she got a little crazy and a little violent (note to self: don't leave box cutters around the house), so I decided to take an evening stroll to the local police precinct.

She was gone by the time I got back, but the next morning I noticed that my underwear felt a little breezier than normal and discovered a gaping hole that had been slashed in the crotch. She had apparently used my time at the precinct - to not only cut up most of my clothes - but also to fold and hang them up perfectly so I would discover a little bit more of her "crazy" each and every morning.  That was the day my beard became a man.  I abandoned my plan to shave it and decided to wear it as a disguise instead.

BAB: Did your ex see you with a beard weeks or years later - did she have any comments (good or bad)?
Max: She may have seen a photo online because she was cyber stalking me for a good three months after that, but she never saw it in person. I'm sure she would have hated it because she would have understood the meaning behind it. It wasn't until I grew the beard that I also grew the balls to finally change my phone number and excommunicate her permanently from my consciousness.  

BAB: How long have you rocked a beard since this relationship ended? 
Max: I kept it for about a year, but eventually had to shave it off for a show. It's hard to maintain a consistent beard as an actor unless you have branded yourself as a beardo, but once in a while you get to really go for it. Last year I grew out an epic Civil War-style beard for a show based on a Faulkner novel. I felt like I got to know my beard in a new light. 

BAB: Will you keep growing it?  Why?
Max: My mod side and my lumberjack side are still fighting this one out, but shaving is a pain in the ass.  Besides, beards are catnip for girls so I don't see myself going clean anytime soon.

BAB: What does your beard mean to you?
Max: My father sported a super manly beard when I was a kid, but shaved it off recently, so my beard sometimes feels like the passing of the torch. It makes me want to learn how to restore muscle cars and hunt with a bow and arrow.

Max the Beardo

Dapper Days (and proof point on why beards are catnip to us ladies - meow...)

Clean faced Max (prior to the break-up)
 

Are You A Post Break-Up Beardo?

My new obsession (when I am not trolling the streets for beards and DIY facial hair creations) is The Life and Times of Tim - the HBO comedy animated TV series.  Worth noting, I am a bit behind and only scratching the surface of Season II, but Tim and his awkward situations in New York City (in both work and his personal life) have won me over. But what sent my heart into obsessive fan mode, was the episode where Tim's post-breakup beard winds up interfering with his job - as the company hires his equivalent off the streets.

So... I have heard of post break-up depression, but how many men have grown beards AFTER a relationship ended?  Is this a trend worth watching?  Obviously, women and men should not view all bearded males as tainted, bitter souls who were ditched by their significant other and therefore, they ditched their razors - but I would like to talk to a post-break up beardo.  Email us for a possible Q&A.   Oh and if anyone knows how to get in touch with Steve Dildarian - tell him to go beard or go home.

Mark Krayenhoff - Hail To The Brooklyn Beard King

As we happily announced last week, Mark Krayenhoff is Brooklyn's Beard Ball winner.  Mark is a fabulous architect in New York who recently granted B-a-B the chance to sit down for an exclusive interview with the man behind the glowing (but no longer growing) gray...  

How long have you grown your beard?  
I grew my first beard when I was 18, almost 34 years ago - and I’ve never been clean-shaven since.  I was crazy about facial hair ever since I was young and I was very eager to grow my own beard as soon as I could.  Over the years I’ve had a short beard, various forms of goatees, and for one summer, a mustache.

*Mark in picture series - "My Beard & The Weather"

Have you always admired beards?   
Most definitely – it’s part of being a man!  When I was a young teenager in the 70's I was dying to have big mutton-chop sideburns (think Engelbert Humperdinck), although they went out of style by the time I could grow them.  I always noticed bearded men like Glenn Hughes from the Village People, Kenny Rogers, Al from Home Improvements, or even Raymond Burr when he had a beard.

How long is the beard?  Is it still growing?
My beard reaches below my nipples.  The longest hairs are 14.”  It has reached terminal length, so it’s not getting any longer.  I was hoping it would reach my belt buckle like ZZ Top but this is where it stops.  (My boyfriend has a beard too, so we get compared to them a lot).  Also, my longest moustache hairs are 4 to 5” so I use mustache wax to keep them out of my mouth.  It’s like painful dental floss if the hairs get caught in your teeth.

*Mark in picture series - "My Beard & The Weather"

Being an architect in NYC, how is your beard received by your clients and peers?
I’m lucky – I work in a small firm that does mostly high-end residential projects, so most of my clients are sophisticated, intelligent people, so it’s not a problem.  I can imagine that some of them are surprised when they first meet me, but they soon realize that I’m good at what I do, and I’ve never had a complaint.  And for those clients who want something really new and original, I think my appearance is an asset.  They know they won’t be getting the same old thing from me.  It would be much harder if I worked in a big firm designing office buildings where the corporate culture was more conformist.

Who is your favorite famous beardo and why?
Jack Passion has a truly incredible beard – although I don’t think he’s famous outside of beard circles.

We noticed you were drinking beer at the 2010 Beard Ball... any advice on how to keep the froth from the 'stache/beard?
LOL – that’s a very good question!  You really have to change your way of eating and drinking with a big 'stache, but it’s more than worth it.  Once in a while I like getting beer foam on my 'stache so I’ll drink from a mug, but normally I only drink bottled beer to keep my mustache out of the way.  (And eating soup is even more of a challenge, because it’ll get in my 'stache at the same time that my beard is dipping in the bowl).

What did you enjoy most about Beard Ball Brooklyn, other than this honor?
It was great to have the opportunity to chat with other men about their beards.  I know it’s something that a lot of men think about, but they don’t often have the opportunity to talk with other men.  I often hear guys say they wish they could grow a beard, but their partner won’t let them, or they have to be clean-shaven for their job.  There is a lot of anti-beard prejudice out there, so it’s great to have a friendly place to talk about it.

Are you going to "go Beard or go home?!"
Absolutely! 

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Here is a special tribute to Mark Krayenhoff's hairy life -- 8 historical photos of his progress from 1980 to the present – short beard, various goatees, and now his long beard.  Note: progression from brown to white.

1980 - Mark's 1st beard – 22 years old

1991 - "The 1990s were all about goatees" – 33 years old
 
1994 - "Experimenting"

1995 - "Another goatee"

1996 - The least facial hair Mark's ever had as an adult – a chin strip - 38 years old 
1997 - Mark growing his beard long for the 1st time

1998 - "A bit fuller" - 40 years old

2005 – "Going gray quickly now" -  Shortly after this, Mark ceased trimming his beard completely

2010 – 52 years old - Brooklyn Beard Ball Winner.  
Mark's beard has reached maximum length and is mostly white

*Build-A-Beard would like to sincerely thank Mark for sharing his pictures - and allowing us insight into his awesome bearded journey. You make NYC proud, sir!

Slap A 'Stache On Me - There's An App For That

So in the midst of 100 applications for beards and 'staches, one that seriously caught our eye is 'Stachetastic.'  It's been reviewed by DVICE.com and Wired.com as one of the "best apps for $1.99," but B-A-B is happy to report there is also a 'Stachetastic Ultimate - well worth the $4.99 - which also allows you to add everything from 80's hair, beards, to zombie bites. We messed around with it this weekend - and I chose to update my face with the "Charlie Chaplin." 

What are your favorite hairy apps?  Feel free to let us know - and in the meantime, we will keep testing out others.

Beards That Sparkle

Robert Pattinson - I have never been a fan.  I don't think you're insanely attractive.  I loathe 'vampire' movies that don't rock sex, blood, warfare... and something crucial called - FANGS.  That said, you're making up some points with BAB with your newly grown facial hair. 

E! Online notes that his beard "makes him look like a bum" - but we disagree.  It makes him look ruggedly sexy.  I'd even let him bite my neck if he keeps growing his scruff... well... maybe.

And now....
 

One Hero To Rule Them All...

I can't speak on behalf all of B-A-B community (or staff), but I've personally never been much of a comic book or super hero kind of beardo. However, I did always try to understand those around me that were/are completely obsessed with the trade, because real people are more fascinating.

That said, in comes Martin Fletcher (a fan on Facebook) and blows that whole perspective out of the water. B-a-B community, please meet Beardo, the bearded super hero (followed by several shots of the creator himself, with a fine style and chin mane of his own). Mr. Fletcher (can we call you Mr.?) what you did here is good, nay, great. Let this be a call to action for you to develop this character, and we'll post your strip on B-a-B... our door is always open for such talent and facial fuzz goodness. Think about it, and say yes.

Now, I will reiterate, i am by no means an expert, and yet Mr. Fletcher's initiative induced an interest within me to answer the burning question which superheroes have beards or other facial hair... I am not going to attempt to claim that i fully answered this question (you can see much more involved folks discussing it here, and here), but below are my top 3... I encourage a civil discussion.

Aquaman

Tony Stark / Iron Man

Thunder Strike

Don't Judge A Man (Negatively) By His Beard

Pogonophobia (n): Fear of beards

I am saddened to report that beard profiling - just like racial - is alive and well in the world.  Not that this should come as any surpise with numerous haters of beards out there, but it is rather shocking that some are beginning to associate 'beards' with 'evil.'  In addition, it's one thing to have a phobia... but it's quite the other to discriminate against the scruff. 

Here are some highlights taken from The Guardian article above (which you should read in full):

Reporter's admission:

My pogonophobia possibly stems from my own inability to grow one – it is well nigh impossible to tell if I have not shaved for three weeks or three months – but, at least in the case of Islam, beards and bigotry do often seem to go together.

Further down in article:

I don't want to tar all beardies with the extremist tag, but among Muslims possession of a big beard does seem a prerequisite to being able to rant and rave against the evil heathens of the west.

I just took one look at his beard, feared the worst and did a fast one.

Hair is hair... is it not?  This type of facial hair profiling... which we danced around in December when we mentioned Bank of America's odd beard policy (i.e. you cannot grow one) seems to be a bit outdated for 2010.  What's that song - free your mind, and the rest will follow?  (Yes, I just referenced En Vogue). 

Help this kid not fear the beard: